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Poorer motor coordination found in children with sedentary lifestyles

Children who spend more than three-quarters of their time engaging in sedentary behaviour, such as watching TV and sitting at computers, have up to nine times poorer motor coordination than their more active peers, reveals a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology.

15 Aug 2012

Study investigates ability of bifidobacteria to remove glycans from milk glycoproteins

A research team at the University of California, Davis, has found that important and resourceful bacteria in the baby microbiome can ferret out nourishment from a previously unknown source, possibly helping at-risk infants break down components of breast milk.

15 Aug 2012

Scientists use supercomputers to reveal links between known risk factors and heart biology

About 25,000 Danes currently live with congenital heart defects. Both heredity and environment play a role for these malformations, but exactly how various risk factors influence the development of the heart during pregnancy has been a mystery until now.

15 Aug 2012

TAIN project aims to optimise treatment for babies with adrenal insufficiency

Groundbreaking research into rare neonatal diseases, conducted by the University of Sheffield, is set to improve the treatment of babies who lack the stress hormone cortisol.

15 Aug 2012

Researchers identify key element in the development of Burkitt lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant, fast-growing tumor that originates from a subtype of white blood cells called B lymphocytes of the immune system and often affects internal organs and the central nervous system. Now Dr. Sandrine Sander and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have identified a key element that transforms the immune cells into malignant lymphoma cells.

14 Aug 2012

Scientists identify new genetic alterations underlying high-risk subtype of ALL

Scientists have identified new genetic alterations underlying a high-risk subtype of the most common childhood cancer that could be effectively targeted with existing leukemia therapies.

14 Aug 2012

Study shines light on specific link between oral health and performance in school

Poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put kids at a serious disadvantage in school, according to a new Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC study.

14 Aug 2012

Maternal obesity and neonatal death: an interview with Dr. Jenny Cresswell

It is important to say that levels of maternal obesity in sub-Saharan Africa are low by global standards, but obesity is projected to increase over the next two decades.

13 Aug 2012

Persistent and loud snoring associated with problem behaviors in young children

Persistent and loud snoring in young children is associated with problem behaviors, according to a new study published online in Pediatrics.

13 Aug 2012

HDAC8 gene mutations cause Cornelia deLange syndrome

Genetics researchers have identified a key gene that, when mutated, causes the rare multisystem disorder Cornelia deLange syndrome (CdLS). By revealing how mutations in the HDAC8 gene disrupt the biology of proteins that control both gene expression and cell division, the research sheds light on this disease, which causes intellectual disability, limb deformations and other disabilities resulting from impairments in early development.

13 Aug 2012

Scientists discover how pten gene causes brain changes that lead to autism-like behavior

Scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute have discovered how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The research offers a potential target for drugs to treat the condition.

13 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Disparities in head scans; Unnecessary heart tests; Americans hit the walkway

Among children who suffered minor blows to the head, whites were more likely to receive unneeded cranial CT scans in the ED than were blacks or Hispanics, researchers found.

12 Aug 2012

Heat wave safety tips from Children's Hospital Los Angeles

With July 2012 on record as being one of the hottest months in U.S. history and the August heat showing no let up in many parts of the country, how can parents protect their children's health during a heat wave? "While kids and teens may think of themselves as invincible, they're prone to heat-related illnesses," says Megan Summers, a registered nurse in the Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Rehabilitation Unit.

12 Aug 2012

Smartphone app can combat ongoing epidemic of childhood obesity

To combat the ongoing epidemic of childhood obesity, two Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing students, Janna Stephens, RN, BSN, and Michelle Brei, APRN, CPNP, are using smartphones and websites to engage and invite young audiences.

12 Aug 2012

Precautions to ensure safety of children in and near water

Spending time in the water is a great way for kids to get exercise and cool off during the summer, but without taking the proper safety measures, hazards could be lurking around the pool.

10 Aug 2012

BBC News examines malnutrition in India

BBC News reports on malnutrition in India, "an enduring problem Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a 'national shame.'" "[D]espite supposedly spending billions of rupees on poverty and food-relief programs -- and during a period of sustained economic growth -- the government has made only a dent in the problem," the news service writes.

10 Aug 2012

New subtype of Ewing sarcoma discovered

A new study of the genetic makeup, or genome, of Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that strikes children, teenagers, and young adults, has produced multiple discoveries: a previously unknown sarcoma subtype, genetic factors related to long-term survival, and identification of a genetic change between the primary and metastatic stages of the disease that could lead to better, more targeted treatment.

10 Aug 2012

Sustaining focus on global hunger critical to improving transparency, accountability in fight against malnutrition

"Malnutrition is easily neglected by parents, communities and governments," Lawrence Haddad, director of the Institute of Development Studies, writes in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog," adding, "The signs are not visible until very acute, the impacts are felt long after the food and infection cycle has played out -- and far beyond electoral cycles -- and the causes are often mistakenly attributed to something else."

10 Aug 2012

Boys are little more susceptible to both bad and good exposures

A new study is the first to find a difference between how boys and girls respond to prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos. Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health found that, at age 7, boys had greater difficulty with working memory, a key component of IQ, than girls with similar exposures.

10 Aug 2012

FDA approved drug to treat Ph- acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Marqibo (vincristine sulfate liposome injection) to treat adults with a rare type of leukemia called Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph-) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is a rapidly progressing form of blood and bone marrow cancer that is more commonly diagnosed in children than adults.

10 Aug 2012